You'd think with a rankings system that relies on regular playing time, therefore promoting it, you would see more ads on the menu screens to cover increased operating expenses. I wouldn't mind it if it kept the cost of DLC down, just so long as it never appears anywhere near the actual gameplay. Though you'd always have those people who will scream that they paid for the app so how dare you puts ads in front of their eyes. If you check iTunes you see that a ton of people gave the game a one-star rating and when you read those reviews they're usually from that short period where SoG put "Lite" on the app icon and people were apparently petrified their friends might think they're poor if their iPhone apps weren't paid for or something. If the rankings were switched to a ratings system like FAST there would be a ton of movement in the lower ranks but I don't think the top 100 would change that much. Some good players have gone inactive and they would get left behind (zxzx's score hasn't changed in over a week) but I think it would retain about 80% of the players already occupying that territory. Imagine data being lost in this ongoing server maintenance and everyone started from scratch, after a month the Top 10 would likely be the same as it is now. It would only help good players who can't devote hours a day to the game. It wouldn't hurt good players who already rack up at least 200 kills a day.
That's a really good point. While I think a ratings system to go along with the current high score system would be interesting I think it might also discourage new players who have a rough time adapting to the real competition online. I tried F.A.S.T. three months after I bought SoG and thought it was interesting. I played a ton of the in-game missions and got pretty good. Then I decided to play online and was crushed repeatedly. I only entered 4 or 5 dogfights before I got discouraged and lost interest.
I've got another business suggestion for SGN: how about everyone can have 1hr of free online play daily? And thereafter it's 1.99 per hour. In this way, skilled people who can only play no more than hour a day can still make it to top10. And the top10 scores will reflect more on skills because it's about how fast u can kill noobs in an hour. And people who is so bothered about top10 that they are willing to pay money to have more time to play, it's good for all of us because they provide the maintenance cost of the server. Of course u can say the killing rate may not reflect on skills because one can play in rooms full of noobs or full of vets. But nobody ask u to play in room full of vets Z3. But keeping one part of the equation constant, ie say every skilled player play in room filled with noobs, we can still differentiate the skill level: For games filled with P40 noobs only in one hour, a noob can do 1 kill per hour a vet can do 100 kills per hour I can do 150 kills per hour the big5 can do 250-300 kills per hour Chuck Norris can do 10000000 kills per hour Do u guys get what I'm saying?
While the server is down, I'll be playing FAST. It will be a waste if I don't use up all my 210 BFM missiles.
I'm not playing much these days, so you can classify me in the 'semi-retired' group. But I do still play for fun and this long server downtime is a bit annoying. I'm just wondering since the 'cat is out of the bag' on the MG upgrade and fuel purchase are we about to get the 'improved' version of SoG when the servers come back on? Of course maybe they are really having some serious server troubles.........
It's almost the sleeping time for Americans. Don't worry. When the server is up while u guys are sleeping, I will crank up my engines and fire few busts of MG to wake u all up!
I have been wondering where you have been. I have been thinking you should have passed me by now, because I haven't been able to play as much as I had been either. As far as the MG's... perhaps those are coming. As far as the fuel, on the SoG facebook page they said they have no plans on releasing that to the public. I think they realize that will pretty much kill the game, and at one point way back when, I do remember them saying that they really would prefer to keep the multiplayer free. I do believe that that is what the BoB version is about, as that is what they have been asking for feedback on. Yes they could just be having serious server issues. The last time it went down this long was a few weeks before the update was released. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 10 player games return after it comes back online.
No offense, but I really don't agree with you on this one Shern. I get so bored shooting down noobs all day. Really it gets rather monotonous after awhile. If I am in a room full of p-40's and one decent player in a Zero III... guess which one I will have more fun going after. All of you guys make really good points about the rankings, but there are arguments for and against all of them that could be made. Yes it's true that in order to reach the top 10 you have to play quite a bit, but you have to do that in any game to reach the top. You have to spend time with anything to get good at it, and that's just a simple fact of life. One could argue that a high KDR is what really shows a players skill... or one could argue the opposite and say it shows that a player is only interested in shooting down hapless p-40's than anything else. The bottom line to me is that stats, no matter how they are rated are never ever going to be a true indicator of a players skill level... not that any of this matters anyway. At the end of the day, I play simply because I think it's a fun thing to do EDIT: Three and a half months ago, when I first picked this game up I was ranked dead last and I still had as much of a blast playing then as I do today If I didn't like this game so much, I wouldn't have the problem I do of not seeming to be able to put the ipod down....
Yeah, Shern that really is a bad! How bout they make some more planes to sell us instead! I don't think anyone would mind seeing more planes to choose from.
I have been playing FAST while the server is down. It feels like a new and refreshing game to me. And it's really fun in the online. I just did a few training to re-orientate myself and bought a dlc plane called FX-7 which acts like EF2 or F22. And won 1v1 match after match. I have accidentally expanded 8 BFM missiles while I'm switching between the heat and radar missiles. Wasted! I still have 202 BFM missiles. So far I've yet to meet players using BFM or the shield. I do meet players who seems to have lots of flares but eventually they still lose. Edit: I met a 1900++ player. I'm still at 1350+ so i lost the match with 1 point lose only. But at first match I was winning as he seems to be heavily damaged. And then I start to hear a continous incoming missile warning despte i release the flare. I know that's BFM. I turn to him and unleash 2 BFM on him and won the first match. 2nd match he just fired 2-3 BFM on me, and as u know, flares don't protect u from the BFM. I killed in h2h in first match. 3rd match I unleash 3 BFM. He too, sent me 2-3 BFM. But I lost. Because he turn on his electro-shield that reduce the BFM damage by a lot. So to play well in this game, you need to buy both BFM and electro-shield. And if both sides have both items, it's really a costly match.
Yep, I've been playing FAST a bit as well. Reset my account and I'm just having fun playing one quick match after another and not caring much about points, who hosts, the cheating, the BFM missiles or other extras. I win some and I lose some and will just take it laid back either way. I will definitely not buy any expendables though I am tempted to buy one of the new fighters and maybe the G-suit Ps. Shern, I saw your post at FB about Zetor. There just might be some truth in your joke. Maybe their servers have been compromised and they are in some serious trouble or instigating some beefed up security measures.
I've been playing brothers in arms 2. I had dloaded it, barely played and then I saw it has online play. Works well enough. I'm surprised the servers are down this long. Something nasty must have happened
Life seems to have lost it's meaning... Oh, what's life about? I do not know for many years until I found SoG... But where's she now? Gone without a word, without a reason, without even a goodbye.... Oh, how I long for her return, creating matches hoping for a connection, but it stays "Fail to connect"... How can I breathe anymore? How can I live without her, without SoG? What's life now, that she seems to be gone forever.... SoG, my love, where can I find u, where are u now? I miss tapping on your teets that light up many noobs, and your vag...(beeep. The remaining has been censored by Touch Arcade for inappropiate content for minors).
I guess I will try FAST too. I also got those 200 missles for buying the BoB. I have only played two online matches ever. To me playing offline it seems like all you do is wait for tone... Fire, fire, fire.... Incoming missle, deploy flair. If they are far away use laser guided, close up use heat seeker. Why do they have a cannon anyway? I bought the stealth bomber looking plane a long time ago, as it has the longest range.... Am I missing something here, I really don't get this game as it has always seemed a bit boring to me. I also DL the free trial of brothers in arms, but I don't like the games with the virtual joysticks. Hopefully the servers will be up soon! EDIT: Ummm... how long to you have to wait while trying to get into a game in FAST anyway? I can't seem to join a game! This is another reason I just don't play this game! This is annoying! EDIT: OK I can't seem to be able to join any of the online games in FAST no matter what I try! For the record I really think this game pretty much sucks now!!!
I always get online match almost immediately. I just tried and I'm still getting immediate responds when I create 1v1 rooms.
Well I did manage to get online like three times, I had to delete the app and re download it though... and now it's still hit or miss. I had managed to make the rank of Brigadier General or something like that and had unlocked a ton of planes though talons, just by playing the campaigns.. now all of that is gone and I don't see where to unlock those planes anymore, and also those 200 BF missiles are gone now.... whatever those were. I will keep trying for a while as long as the SoG servers are down... but right now I am not a happy camper. Shern how do I get those stupid planes back... all I got now is that stealth bomber looking thing, that I paid for a long time ago, but I don't see that other plane for sale they had in the hangar with it a long time ago. I really just don't get FAST right now..... I suppose I shouldn't judge it because I am so ignorant of it, but so far I am not impressed by it at all.
